Spark plug container



Sept. 20, 1955 c. w. HOUSER 2,718,298

SPARK PLUG CONTAINER Filed Aug. 50. 1954 Era. 1.

58/ 11/5 ATToQ/VEKS. Knee/s, Zea/,4 F0575? a: IIbQQ/S Unitfid States P n SPARK PLUG CONTAINER Charles W. Houser, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application August 30, 1954, Serial No. 452,799

1 Claim. (Cl. 206-16) The present invention relates to a new and improved container which is specifically designed to be used in packaging spark plugs, but which is also capable of being used for packaging other manufactured products.

A container to be satisfactorily used in packaging spark plugs for shipment must support the terminal extremities of the plugs so that they will not be damaged during shipment. Further, a container for this purpose must protect a plug from the presence of moisture so that it may be directly installed and used when removed from such container. Also, it is necessary that a container for spark plugs or for various manufactured products must be light, compact, and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture if the container is to be widely accepted. It is a broad, general object of the present invention to provide containers to satisfy these various requirements.

The present invention may be briefly described as involving a container composed of two cylindrical sections, the first of which has an open end, a closed end, and means located internally within said section in a plane located at right angles to the axis thereof; and the second of which is of such dimension as to be adapted to fit within the first section, and is provided with an open end, a closed end, and internal means located adjacent the open end thereof. With this construction, a spark plug or other article may be positioned within the two sections so as to be held rigidly within the container by the two different means indicated in the preceding sentence.

The invention is, of course, more precisely defined by the appended claim forming a part of this specification. Further details of it will be apparent from the remainder of this description and the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is an isometric view of a preferred container construction of the present invention in use; and

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the container illustrated in Fig. 1.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing, a complete container of the invention is shown as comprising a first cylindrical section 12 which is provided with a closed end 14 and an open end 16. Intermediate these two ends, the first section 12 is provided with a circumferential groove 18. This groove 18 may be formed within the section 12 by means of a simple rolling procedure or other operations known to those skilled in the art. This groove 18 is located in a plane at right angles to the axis of the first section 12, and thus is symmetrically disposed with respect to the axis of the section 12.

The complete container 10 also includes a second cylindrical section 20 having a closed end 22 and an open end 24. This open end 24 is provided with an internal flange 26, which, in a similar manner to the groove 18, is located in a plane at right angles to the axis of the second section 20. This flange 26 may also be formed upon the second section 20 by means of a simple metal-forming operation, such as, for example,- rolling. As is best apparent from Fig. 2 of the drawing, the first section 12 and the second section 20 are adapted to fit together so that the second section 20 is located generally within the first section 12.

During the use of the complete container 10 in packaging a spark plug 28, the spark plug is positioned so that the portion 30 thereof formed in the genera'l configuration of a nut for use in installing the plug 28 is located between the groove 18 and the flange 26 so as to be held in position rigidly within the two sections 12 and 20 with the terminal extremities 32 and 34 of this plug 28 spaced from the sections 12 and 20, including the closed ends 14 and 22 thereof. It is noted that a common sealing washer 36 of the type normally employed with the spark plug 28 may be also held in position adjacent the plug 28 between this plug 28 and the groove 18, if desired.

With the type of construction illustrated in the drawing, it is readily seen that the ends 32 and 34 of the spark plug 28 are spaced from contact with the adjacent portions of the container 10, and hence, are located in a position in which they are not apt to be damaged during normal handling. Further, it is noted from a consideration of Fig. 2 of the drawing that because the second section 20 fits closely within the first section 12, the complete container 10 is comparatively waterproof. If desired, a piece of waterproof pressure-sensitive tape may be disposed around the juncture of the open end 16 of the first section 12 and the adjacent portion of the second section 20 so as to seal the two sections in a positive manner against the entrance of moisture or vapor, although this is not usually necessary with the invention. The use of such pressure-sensitive tape also has the further effect of preventing any chance of the two sections 12 and 20 coming apart during use. This precaution is also not necessary when these two sections 12 and 20 are formed so as to fit very tightly within one another. If desired, a small quantity of desiccant such as silica gel can be placed within the container 10, and, if necessary, the container 10 can be lengthened to make room for such material. Other conventional corrosion protective means can also be employed with the invention.

The complete container 10 illustrated in the drawing can be easily formed of aluminum, and hence is very light in nature. Further, it is very compact and is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture using conventional equipment and techniques. Obviously other materials besides aluminum can, however, be employed in the invention. If desired, it is possible to utilize other means besides the groove 18, such as, for example, a plurality of internal projections secured to the first section 12 instead of the groove 18. Also, it is possible to dent the first section 12 so as to provide a series of internal bumps located in a plane at right angles to the axis of this section instead of using the specific groove 18 as shown. It is also possible to utilize other internal means than the specific flange 26. As an example of such other internal means, a series of internal projections formed within the wall of the second section 20 can be employed. All such modifications of this category insofar as they are within the skill of the art and are defined by the appended claim are to be considered as part of the inventive concept.

I claim as my invention:

A container for a spark plug, said spark plug having a cylindrical metal body provided between its ends with a projecting portion of larger diameter than said body, comprising: a first cylindrical member formed of thin metal with a closure wall at the outer end of said member; an annular flange formed of the material of, and projecting inwardly from, the inner end of said first cylindrical member, said flange forming an opening through which the smaller diameter of the body of the spark plug may pass, the opening formed by said flange being smaller in diameter than said projecting portion of said body so that said flange will engage one side of said projecting portion of said body; a second cylindrical member also formed of thin metal, said second cylindrical member fitting snugly over the outside of said first cylindrical member and having a closure wall at the outer end thereof; and a circumferential annular indentation formed in the wall of said second cylindrical member intermediate the ends thereof, said indentation forming a circular opening through which the body of the 10 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,546,923 Dunneback Mar. 27, 1951 2,555,863 Slaughter June 5, 1951 2,690,947 Roehrl Oct. 5, 1954 

